


Ginny Weasley and the Dementors of Azkaban

by Chelonie



Series: The Witches of Hogwarts [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Asthma, Boggarts, Dementors, Don’t copy to another site, Gen, Kings Cross Fire, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, PTSD, Protective Siblings, gryffindors being gryffindors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-01-12 07:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18442058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chelonie/pseuds/Chelonie
Summary: AU of the Prisoner of Azkaban, told from Ginny's pov. Sequel toHermione Granger and the Chamber of Secrets.





	1. Not Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every day, Ginny tried to do the same chores she had grumbled over the summer before, only to have Mum insist she was too frail to do anything other than work on her homework. Every day, Ginny then did whatever chores she could do that were on the other side of the house from Mum. It wasn’t because Ginny loved household chores. It was because she really really wanted to give Mum no excuse to ban Ginny from flying.
> 
> Only to have Mum try and do it anyway.
> 
> Every single day.

“I’m not _broken!”_ Ginny screamed, for the thousandth time at Mum.

“I know, dear, just…”

“You let the boys fly when they were younger than me! Don’t tell me I shouldn’t just because I don’t have a _penis!”_

“Don’t be crude, Ginevra!” Molly Weasley said, flushing.

“Then don’t be _sexist,_ Mum!”

And Ginny stormed out of the house, and grabbed a broom out of the broomshed anyway, even though she knew she’d pay for it later.

Ron and Percy and Mum were still treating her like she was a broken dish barely charmed back together. Dad and Bill and Charlie were (mostly) treating her with indulgence. It was Fred and George who treated her like one of the boys - no quarter given nor expected.

The day she’d returned home after two weeks at the Department of Mysteries, Mum had tried to bundle her into bed at 8:00 - two hours before sunset! - saying she needed her sleep. Fred and George had snuck her out the window on broomstick after dark to race, then pranked her hair green at breakfast.

Every day, Ginny tried to do the same chores she had grumbled over the summer before, only to have Mum insist she was too frail to do anything other than work on her homework. Every day, Ginny then did whatever chores she could do that were on the other side of the house from Mum. It wasn’t because Ginny loved household chores. It was because she really _really_ wanted to give Mum _no_ excuse to ban Ginny from flying.

Only to have Mum try and do it anyway.

Every single day.

* * *

Ginny was in the middle of practising a corkscrew manoeuvre that their old family brooms really couldn’t manage (and crashing into the meadow for the fourth time that day) when Percy came racing out to them.

“Come in! Come in! Dad has news!” he said. “Oi Ginevra, did you hurt yourself?”

“I did not hurt myself,” Ginny said, trying not to show where she’d skinned her arm on a rock. “It’s just grass out here.”

“You fell off your broom!”

“I didn’t fall! I was practising -”

“I ran into her tail twigs,” Fred cut in quickly. “It was an accident. She didn’t fall.”

“Don’t tell Mum,” George said. "Rule of Mum."

Percy eyed the three of them, then finally, deciding Ginny wasn’t hurt badly enough to be worth hearing Mum shout about it said. “Fine. Rule of Mum."

(All of the Weasley siblings had enough dirt on one another that invoking the Rule of Mum kept everyone mum to Mum. Of course she had her own ways of finding out, other than sibling tattletales, but Ginny could just imagine that without the Rule of Mum, there would be constant shouting in the Burrow, morning to night.)

 

They arrived inside to hear Ron saying, “We could all get new brooms!”

“That wouldn’t be very responsible,” Mum said. “What about Mind Healing for your sister?”

“I don’t need a Mind Healer!” Ginny said. She settled between Fred and George on the sofa. “What’s up?”

“Your father just won the Daily Prophet Draw! 700 galleons!” Mum said.

Ginny’s eyes boggled. That was a massive amount of money. “We’d have all our school books forever.”

“Oh school books are so dull. I was thinking about splurging on a treat for the family!” Dad said.

“New clothes?”

“Pets?”

“Brooms!” Ron put in again.

Ginny knew better than to vote for brooms herself - that would make Mum come down against it. So she nudged Fred and gave a silent thumbs up in favour of brooms.

The debate was lively and went on for an hour, but when Percy came up with the idea of visiting Bill in Egypt, even Ginny had to admit it sounded cooler than a new broom. 

* * *

> Dear Luna,
> 
> Egypt is amazing! I tried to buy a Fwooper for your birthday, but Dad said it would be really expensive to import to Britain, because you need a license to own one. I think that’s mad - just because they need to have a silencing charm put on them every month to keep the song from driving listeners insane! _Silencio_ isn’t a difficult spell after all. So instead, I got you some Fwooper quills and a book about African creatures, and I hope you like them.
> 
> We met a Sphinx, and it reminded me of your door knocker, since it asked us all riddles. Fred and George were best at them (besides Bill, who lives here), and Mum worst. The sorting hat says we all have traits of all houses, in different amounts, but I think Mum has very little Ravenclaw in her.
> 
> I’m ready for school to start. I’m so sick of Mum hovering over me trying to _fix_ me. I wish I’d never met that stupid diary, but Mum is nearly as soul-sucking, in her own special way.
> 
> I’ll see you on the train!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Ginny

> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> Dear Oliver,
> 
> I know there aren’t any spots on the team this year, but I’d really like to try out as a reserve player. Fred and George will vouch for me, and I’m willing to take on any position. I’m best as a chaser, but I’m also pretty good going after the Snitch. I know Harry is the greatest Seeker we’ve ever had, but as he is accident prone, it might be good to train up someone in case he gets hurt again. I’m also willing to fetch and carry and run errands for the team in the meantime.
> 
> Will you consider it?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Ginny Weasley

* * *

 

> Dear Colin,
> 
> I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before the end of the year, but I’m so sorry for the way everything happened, and I hope you can forgive me. I hope you passed your tests so you can start 2nd year with us.
> 
> I know you like photography, and if you still want to do it, I talked to the lady at the Daily Prophet who took our picture for the paper. She gave me her name and said you could owl her if you had any questions about how she got started. Her name is Sandra Lillington. She is still in Egypt for another month, but then she will be back in London, so owls to her will be cheaper then.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Ginny Weasley

* * *

 

> Dear Bill,
> 
> HELP! The moment our Portkey arrived back, Dad was dragged off to the Ministry, because some Death Eater escaped from Azkaban, and now Mum is having kneazles and saying it’s too dangerous for me to go to Hogwarts! PLEASE! I know she listens to you! You saw the way she was treating me, and if I have to spend a whole school year like that, without anyone else there to help distract her, it’ll be the end of one of us. I don’t know how we survived Ron’s first year at Hogwarts with it just the two of us at the Burrow, and that was before The Incident In Which Her Dear Sweet Innocent Baby Girl Got Soul Cursed.
> 
> I don’t know why everyone is so scared of this one prisoner. I mean, aren’t there still Death Eaters that were never caught who are still out there? So why is one who got out of jail more dangerous? Maybe I’m less scared because of what I’ve already seen, but I don’t think one wizard will ever be as scary as a cursed object or a basilisk.
> 
> Love you,
> 
> Gin
> 
> * * *
> 
>  

> Dear Charlie,
> 
> Thanks for the advice on bringing Bill into it. His owl seems to have convinced Mum that I’m safer at Hogwarts than at home. Dad’s still working crazy overtime at the Ministry, because everyone is going mad trying to catch that prisoner. As far as I can tell, it’s not that he was the most dangerous Death Eater, it’s just that no one ever escaped Azkaban before. So that’s why they think he has scary Dark powers.
> 
> We’re going to Diagon tomorrow to meet Harry. He’s been staying at the Leaky for a WEEK all by HIMSELF! Mum was out of her mind when she heard that! (I’m sure you can imagine!) What happened was this… Harry had an accidental magic outburst and blew up his aunt! Don’t worry, not blew up like a firecracker - just blew up like a bubble. They fixed and obliviated her, so she’s okay, and Harry’s okay, but he ran away from home on the Knight Bus because he thought he was going to be expelled, and the Minister found him at the Leaky and told him to stay there till school started! Dad says Fudge just wants people to think Diagon is safe, because they’ll all see The Great Harry Potter is there. Mum says Fudge is… well, I shouldn’t write what she said. But you can imagine! Harry should have been able to stay with us, but Dad didn’t find out about Harry not being at home until yesterday. I think Fudge knew Mum would go straight to the floo and drag Harry back here, so made sure Dad didn’t find out. But anyway, we’re going to spend a night at the Leaky, then go to King’s Cross from there.
> 
> I know you are mostly a dragon expert, but I know you did a lot of Animal Care courses, and Scabbers has been sick ever since we got back from Egypt. Ron is terribly worried about him. Do you have any idea what might be wrong? Is there any sort of Egyptian rat sickness?
> 
> Love,
> 
> Gin

* * *

It was cold. So cold. And that voice, that had once comforted her…

> _“Please, Ginevra, do you realise how **boring** you are? Just be quiet and give me your wand,” Tom ordered. She took her wand out of her pocket and looked into his eyes… and then, seeing the cold cruelty in them, took her wand in both hands and snapped it. _
> 
> _Snapped her wand..._
> 
> _Her magic..._
> 
> _Sucked out of her, her wand screaming at the betrayal..._

“Ginny, no!” It was Ron. He was grasping onto her hands, stopping her from…

_I’m not in the Chamber, I’m on the train… this is my new wand…_

 

She came to her senses, looking around her. Neither Ron nor Hermione seemed as badly affected, but Neville was white and shaking, and Harry was getting up from the floor.

“Who screamed?” he said.

“No one screamed,” Hermione said.

“ _I_ heard screaming,” Neville whispered. “And laughing.”

The new professor gave them chocolate, and it sent warmth all through her. But she’d had all summer to forget Tom Riddle’s voice, and now it was back again. And not just his voice, but that moment, that she'd broken her own wand... that she'd felt as if she'd never do magic again. 

"Ron, Rule of Mum," Ginny whispered. "She'd pull me out of school." Ron made a lips sealed motion, and Ginny squeezed his arm. 

(Ron may complain sometimes about having so many brothers, but Ginny thought it was pretty damn awesome.)

* * *

When they reached the castle, Madam Pomphrey insisted on looking over those of them who had been worst affected by the Dementors - Ginny, Harry, Neville, Luna, and several older students that Ginny didn’t know well. At least she let them all go after being assured they’d all had chocolate.

They arrived after the Sorting. Ginny poked George and said “Where do they put the Sorting Hat during the Feast? Is it in that room off to the side?”

“You’re not going to steal the Hat are you?” Fred asked.

“I just want to talk to it!”

Fred and George exchanged looks, and then George got up and said, “This way, my Lady.”

They slid out behind a tapestry, went down a flight of stairs, through three dusty classrooms, and then up a ladder, and they were in a small room that held only the stool, the Sorting Hat, and the rolled up parchment of first year students names.

“Can you grab me something to eat, in case I don’t make it back before it’s over?” Ginny asked George.

“Absolutely,” George said. “Say hello to to the Hat for me.”

Ginny picked up the hat and exchanged it with her own school hat, then sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall.

::Hello, Jasper::

::Greetings, Ginny Weasley. It’s nice to see your head is your own again.::

::Oh! Oh it is? I wasn’t sure… they said so at the Department of Mysteries, but I didn’t trust them.::

::It’s all you, and none of you is missing. They have done a good job. Why don’t you tell me about your summer?::

* * *

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JKR: Dementors affect Harry worse than anyone because he saw his Mum die.  
> Luna: I saw my Mum die  
> Neville: I saw my parents tortured.  
> JKR: But Voldemort himself was there! He was laughing!  
> Ginny: That's cute...


	2. Boggart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny's class faces a Boggart, with more realistic fears than were faced in canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommendation:  
> [Petrification Profileration](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14031132/chapters/32316612) by White_Squirrel  
>  _What would have been the appropriate response to a creature that can kill with a look being set loose in the only magical school in Britain? It would have been a lot more than a pat on the head from Dumbledore and a mug of hot cocoa._
> 
> * * *

Ginny hadn't been sure the first few days. She'd created a lot of distance between herself and the other students last year, after all. But a few days of trying to join conversations, only to find people suddenly remembering other places they needed to be, being the last one chosen to partner in assignments in class, and never having anyone making space for her at meals other than her brothers, she had figured it out. 

She was a pariah. 

Nobody wanted to be friends with the person who had opened the Chamber of Secrets, even if she'd done it under the influence of a cursed object. 

If it weren't for her brothers, she'd be lost. Ron was always up for a broom flight or a game, and would usually drag Harry and Hermione into it. Fred and George were always willing to have her help with their pranks. Even Perfect Percy, swamped with Head Boy duties, and his NEWT year, made time to help her with her homework. But none of that made up for how lonely she felt in class every day, or in her dorm when the other three girls would usually climb onto someone's bed and close the curtains the moment she arrived, sharing whispers and giggles until lights out.

In Defence against the Dark Arts, the third years had already faced a Boggart, and the stories of that lesson (and Snape's vulture hat) had spread throughout the school. Colin Creevey had begged Professor Lupin to let their class face the Boggart. He wanted to bring his camera. Lupin had agreed, but it was strictly extra credit.

Only a Muggleborn could actually  _want_ such a thing. Boggarts were  _terrifying._ No way was she taking a turn. No way.

* * *

David Noltan swaggered up to the suitcase first.  _"Alohamora,"_ Professor Lupin called. And the suitcase opened to a giant, snarling dog, that leapt out, barking and ready to attack. 

"Riddikulus!" Noltan said, and the dog became a small plushie, lying on the floor.

Julie Parkes was next, and the plushie stretched into a hooded and masked wizard.  _Death Eater._ Ginny thought. The Death Eater had just started to lift his wand to cast a spell, when Julie said "Riddikulus," and the Death Eater mask fell off, and instead of a wizard behind the mask, it was a chicken. The robes turned into feathers, and the wand disappeared. The chicken started pecking at the ground. Colin snapped pictures.

"A giant chicken, Parkes?" Anita Macduff asked.

"Chickens are funny!" Julie protested. It had to be true, because the entire class was laughing, Ginny included. She would never have thought of turning a Death Eater into a chicken.

Jack Sloper went next, and the chicken disappeared. Everyone looked around, waiting for something to happen, and then Ginny looked at Jack and saw that he had his hands on his throat. "He's choking!" She stepped closer to try and help and...

There he was. Tom.

_(Some part of her was vaguely aware that Jack had started breathing again.)_

The other students would just have seen a handsome sixth or seventh year Slytherin, in old fashioned robes. A few of the girls whispered and giggled. Tom strode up to Ginny and put his finger under her chin, looking down into her eyes. "Ginevra... did you really think you were anything special?" His words were spoken low, with a strange accent that had a touch of hissing undertone. "All you ever were. Was. Bait."

Ginny had forgotten he was a Boggart. "Fuck you, Tom!" she snarled, stomped his instep, then shoved the heel of her hand into his nose. Boggart!Tom bellowed in pain, its hands going to its face to catch the blood that was pouring from its broken nose.

"Next," Professor Lupin called mildly.

Colin Creevey, who had taken a picture of Ginny's attack on her Boggart, kept his camera ready and stepped up. Tom focused on Colin and shifted into Ginny.

But a Ginny she'd never seen before. A Ginny with a cruel smirk on her face, holding an open diary in one hand. And hissing. Behind her....

 

Colin lifted his camera and snapped the picture.

Professor Lupin shouted, "NOX!" The room fell into full darkness.

Students screamed.

 

It wasn't everyday you saw a 50 foot basilisk in your DADA classroom.

* * *

The Boggart was back in the suitcase. Everyone was being served hot chocolate, and Madame Pomphrey was checking them all over, scolding him as she did so. "Professor Lupin, I can't believe you... letting war orphans and basilisk victims face a Boggart!"

"It's something they need to learn, Poppy," Professor Lupin said. "But perhaps I should have assigned the essay first, to see what their Boggarts would have been."

"Yes, you should. Certainly you should have had Mr Sloper's asthma potions to hand," she said.

"I admit, I didn't even know they could form an intangible fear, such as a medical condition," Lupin said.

Jack was hunched over in a transfigured armchair, wrapped in a blanket. "It didn't feel the same as a normal asthma attack. You said it liked dark crevices. I think it moved into my throat," he said quietly. "I think my greatest fear now _is_ Boggarts."

Lupin crouched down in front of Jack. "I'm so, so sorry, Jack. That must have been terrifying."

Ginny was sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees, in the corner, under a table. She could feel the magic of the castle thrumming against her back.  _They hate me. They all hate me._ Knowing she was somebody's Boggart wasn't an easy thing to take. She thought she could feel Hogwarts telling her,  _I don't hate you. You're one of mine, always._

After everyone was checked, Lupin said, "Five points to Gryffindor for everyone who faced the Boggart, and you'll get the extra credit points as well."

"Even if we didn't use the incantation?" Jack said.

"Even so. You faced a very dangerous non-being," Lupin said.

* * *

 

Madame Pomphrey released students one by one, until it was only Ginny left in the classroom - not that anyone saw her. Or so she thought. Once the mediwitch herself had left, Professor Lupin called, "You can come out now, Ginny."

She crawled out from under the table.

"Did you get any hot chocolate?" he asked. 

"No, sir," she shook her head.

"Topsy," he called. "Can we get another hot chocolate please, with extra whipped cream and marshmallows?"

A tray appeared on the table next to the transfigured armchair, with the cocoa as well as some biscuits. She sat down on the edge of the chair, picked up a biscuit, and dunked.

"Would you like to talk about your Boggart, Ginny?" he asked.

"Why do you call us by our first names? None of the other professors do," she blurted out.

"In my last job, I was a librarian in the muggle world, and I always called the kids by their first names. So when I got here I had forgotten it wasn't the usual habit in the magical world. My first class was a Gryffindor class, then a Hufflepuff, and none of them minded. I tried it in the Slytherin class and..." Professor Lupin scrunched up his face. Ginny laughed. "It's not the done thing among their circles, unless you've been invited to use their first names. I won't forget that again. So when I got the Ravenclaw class, I asked their preference. For them, it was about half and half."

"I'd rather be Ginny," she said. "When a teacher calls 'Weasley', well, it's okay if it's in class - I know I'm the only one. But in the corridors or the Great Hall, I never know if it's me or my brothers."

"Though it's probably Fred and George in those cases," Lupin said.

"Yeah," Ginny said.

She sipped at her cocoa. It was really really good. "Do you really think Colin's Boggart!Basilisk could have killed or paralysed everyone?"

"Probably not. Boggarts are taking their powers from the minds around them. So a Boggart!Snake could bite, but it wouldn't have venom, because a human doesn't know how to make venom. A Boggart!Dementor can make it cold and fearful, but it can't administer the Kiss. A Boggart!Professor might tell you that you have failed your exam, but they couldn't give you the exam answers if you don't know them yet," Lupin said.

"So a Boggart!Basilisk could bite people, but their gaze won't petrify or kill?" Ginny asked. "But you still put the room in darkness."

"Because there is such a thing as being frightened to death. If someone believes they are looking into the gaze of a basilisk, they _might_ be so scared that their heart stops beating or their magic stops working. It's rare, but it can happen. That's why it was a mistake for me to do the Boggart in class without having everyone write an essay first. If I'd known Colin's Boggart was a basilisk, then I would have done his without the class present," Lupin said.

"It wasn't just the basilisk though. It was me," Ginny said. " _I'm_ his Boggart."

"Drink your cocoa, Ginny. It's not just good for Dementors," Lupin said. "I know how it feels, having people be afraid of you."

Ginny gulped some more cocoa. It did help, a warmth tingling inside. "Do you, Professor?"

"It's not nice. It makes you feel..."

"Like a monster. I'm a monster," Ginny said.

"Oh Ginny. You're not a monster. Someone incredibly evil hurt you, and made you do things you never ever would have done on your own," Lupin said. "That doesn't make you a monster."

"No one talks to me," Ginny said. "Except my brothers. But no one my age. No one likes to be paired with me in class. They're all afraid of me."

"Do you want to tell me about _your_ Boggart? Was that Lord Voldemort?"

Ginny nodded. "I didn't know it. Of course I never would have talked to him. But he had a name, before he was You-Know-Who. Tom Riddle. And he went to school at Hogwarts during Grindelwald's War."

"And you thought he was a friend, but he was using you," Lupin said. 

"Yeah. It's easier for me to be friends with boys than girls."

"Because of all your brothers," Lupin guessed.

"And I thought Tom was my friend."

"You dealt with him pretty good today," Lupin said.

"I didn't do the spell though," Ginny said. "And I swore in class. Mum will send a howler when she hears about that."

Lupin smiled. "I seem to have been so impressed with how you used muggle self-defence techniques against the Boggart that I was momentarily struck deaf and unable to recall anyone swearing." Ginny smiled as she nibbled at another biscuit. "Where did you learn to fight?"

"Charlie taught me. Mum and Percy said it wasn't necessary because I'd have a wand if anyone tried to hurt me, but Charlie and Bill said it's possible to lose your wand," Ginny said.

"And your father?" Lupin asked.

Ginny laughed. "He agreed with Mum until she was out of the room, then told me that it was up to me, not Mum or Charlie. And I wanted to learn."

"It may seem unorthodox to use muggle self-defence against a Boggart, but it shook it up. It would have given you time to run. If you stumbled over a Boggart and you didn't have your wand, that would have been the best thing to do."

Ginny finished her cocoa, and set her mug down. "I found a Boggart in Dad's shed when I was six. I had heard my parents the night before, talking about money. And so the Boggart took the form of my Mum, and told me they couldn't afford me, and I had to leave the family."

"Oh Ginny!"

"I didn't know better. I thought it was really my Mum. So I left, crying my eyes out, and got out of the wards, and about four miles down the road. A muggle couple was out with their dog, and they found me, and took me home, and called the muggle Aurors. I got to look at tell-o that day. It was my first time in a muggle house," Ginny said.

"Do you mean television?" Lupin asked.

"Maybe? The thing that shows moving pictures and sounds at the same time?" Ginny said.

"Yes. That's it," Lupin said. "How long was it before your parents found you?"

"Several hours. But the Lewises took good care of me, and it turned out they knew about magic already, because one of their sons had married a wizard a few years before. So they weren't surprised at some of the strange things I said, and they didn't have to be Obliviated. Mum and Dad told the Muggle Aurors that I'd had a nightmare that I thought was real, but they told the Lewises the truth about the Boggart. And a few days later, Mum and Dad had a family meeting to talk about Boggarts and polyjuice and Imperius curses and anything that might mimic or control a friend or family member. And Mum promised me that they would sell the house, the brooms, the dishes, and the clothes off their backs before they ever ever gave up one of their children, because we were their treasures, and worth more than all the gold in Gringotts." Ginny said, then realised she was a little embarrassed about repeating something so sappy. "But that's when I learned that Boggarts are terrifying. I wasn't going to do it today. It was an accident."

Professor Lupin put his hands on his knees and leaned forwards a little. "Ginny, have you had any Mind Healing, since last year?"

"Er... I was at the Department of Mysteries for a couple of weeks to get sorted out?"

"No, a Mind Healer is someone to help you with mental and emotional healing. It's someone you can talk to-"

"I'm not crazy!" Ginny burst out. "Can I go?"

"Class is over, Ginny. You don't have to stay," Professor Lupin said mildly.

 

Ginny sprinted from the classroom, out the doors, and grabbed a school broom. 

She wouldn't think about Tom Riddle. 

Or about the face that she was Colin Creevey's Boggart. And that Professor Lupin thought she was crazy.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Colin: I have pictures of a basilisk staring straight at the camera! 2 sickles!  
> Fred: Do you have the giant chicken?  
> Colin: Yes. I also have a picture of a teenage You-Know-Who.  
> George: Giant chicken please. I'll pay 2 sickles.  
> Blaise: You know, Weasley looks kind of hot in that picture, with that evil smirk, and the giant snake.  
> Theo: Salazar, yes. And just imagine if she inherited her mother's fertility. It wouldn't even matter that she'll have a poor dowry.  
> Fred: Do you know how many of Ginny's brother's are in earshot right now?  
> Theo: *gulps*  
> Blaise: We'll both take the giant chicken. *passes a note that they really mean the Weasley/basilisk picture*  
> Colin: I also have a picture of Ginny Weasley kicking teenage You-Know-Who's butt  
> Theo: That is incredibly hot.  
> Blaise: And terrifying. If the Dark Lord ever rises again, and knows we've seen that picture, we are so dead....  
> Theo: I know a 6th year who is good with Obliviations...


	3. Hogsmeade and Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny makes a friend, helps Harry get to Hogsmeade, and learns more about Mind Healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommendation:  
> [Can't be late](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18486838) by marauuders  
>  _Lavender has always taken care of her appearance, and people call her vain for it, but is she? After all, what matters are not words, but actions. Hermione is one of the few who understands her, even if it can't be said that they share the same life philosophy._
> 
>  
> 
> _♡♡♡_

Ginny had thought things would be worse than ever for her after that disastrous Boggart lesson, but one good thing had come of it.

Jack Sloper was now talking to her, sitting with her, and even sticking up for her when other people said nasty things. "You jumped in front of a Boggart for me," he told her. "That makes us friends." There was the usual teasing about them being boyfriend and girlfriend, but Jack put his hands to his heart and said, "Oh woe is me! For I am already betrothed to an Argentinian heiress!" Every time they were teased, he would come up with a different story about his betrothed, and Ginny started in on the joke too. "My father has already promised my hand to the Grand Wizard of Albania." It was lighthearted and low-stakes, and Jack enjoyed Quidditch and was hoping to make the team. He was fun to be around.

* * *

 

Ginny and Jack were playing Gobstones and she could hear Harry lamenting to Ron and Hermione about not being able to go to Hogsmeade. "You can't go because of that escaped convict?" Ginny asked.

"No, because my stupid relatives didn't sign the permission form," Harry said.

Ginny shot a gobstone, and looked back at Harry. "Do any of the teachers  _know_ they didn't sign it? Have you told them?"

"I was about to ask McGonagall-"

"Don't!" Ginny said. "Do you have anything at all with their signature on it? A note or a school form or anything?"

"Maybe?" Harry said. He dashed up to his dormitory. Ginny went back to her game. She could hear Ron and Hermione squabbling over the behaviour of Hermione's cat, but tuned them out.

A few minutes later, Harry appeared again, with a note from his relatives. "They sent this at Christmas last year - a note to see if I could stay at Hogwarts for the summer too."

"Wow, charming," Jack said.

"They don't like me very much." Harry said.

"Okay, take that, and your permission slip, to George. Don't let Percy catch you," Ginny said.

Harry ran off, and Ginny lost the game, getting sprayed with gunk. 

"Your brother can forge signatures?" Jack said. 

"Between all of my brothers, they can do anything," Ginny said. "Just have to know the right one to ask."

"That's brill! My brother's pretty useless so far, but then, he's only 3. I guess if you need a mud pie, he's your man."

"RON DON'T HURT HIM!" Hermione screamed. 

"CATCH THAT CAT!!!" Ron bellowed.

There was an uproar as Crookshanks chased after Scabbers through the Common Room, until Scabbers got under a low chest of drawers. 

Ginny got up and helped Hermione corral her cat, while Ron kept yelling at Hermione, until he recovered Scabbers and stormed out.

"Ron's being a prat," Ginny said. "Even if your pet does hurt his, that doesn't mean he can hurt your pet. He's a human and knows better. He should just keep Scabbers out of Crookshanks way."

At that, Crookshanks growled. 

"Stop that, Crookshanks," Hermione said, with a laugh-sob. "You'll make me think Ron was right."

"Ron wasn't right. Scabbers is a menace. He bit me once when I was five. I still have the scar," Ginny held out a finger, upon which was a very small white scar.

"That's not a very big scar." Hermione said.

"Do you know how serious a non-magical wound has to be to leave a scar when it's properly treated? It was down to the bone! Mum wanted to kill the rat then and there, but Percy had a fit," Ginny said.

"Why didn't she?" Jack asked.

Ginny looked shifty. "Er... because I  _may_ have just set the rat on fire... It was accidental magic! It had just eaten my last birthday cupcake that I was saving! I went back to get it the next day, and he was eating it. And I was so mad that I picked him up and my hands caught him on fire. So it bit me and I let it go."

Jack fell off the chair laughing. "That is wicked! That poor rat!"

"That's terrible!" Hermione said.

"There's a reason most magical children don't get pets until Hogwarts age," Ginny said. "Accidental magic and innocent animals don't mix well. In the end, I was grounded for a month and Scabbers lived."

Harry came running back into the Common Room, waving a piece of paper over his head. He plopped on the sofa between Ginny and Hermione. "Your brother is awesome!" he said to Ginny. "Thank you!"

"I don't think you should be cheating the rules to Hogsmeade with Black about. You're supposed to stay in school!" Hermione said.

"If I'm supposed to stay in school no matter what, then it won't matter whether I have a permission slip," Harry said. "They'll stop me before I get out the gate."

"Hmph," Hermione said.

"He has a point," Ginny said. "Besides, you and Ron will be with him. You have always kept him safe before."

Ginny saw a little smile on Hermione's face.

* * *

On Halloween, the third years all trooped out of the castle. Ginny and Jack watched them go from an upper window. 

"Lucky bastards," Jack said.

"That'll be us next year," Ginny said. She raised her eyes and could see the Dementors in the distance, and shivered. "Sure hope the nasties are gone by then."

They watched long enough to see that Harry made it out, apparently without question, and then, went to the inner courtyard. It was more confined than really being out of the castle, but it had the advantage of not having any Dementors in sight.

"Can you still feel them? In the Castle?" Jack asked in a low voice. 

"Yeah. I think so," Ginny said. "I was having nightmares at home, but only once a week maybe. Here it's every other night."

"I think I might need to start seeing my Mind Healer again," Jack said, so matter of factly that Ginny boggled at him.

"You see a Mind Healer?"

"I did. When I was little... you know Kings Cross station?"

"Yeah?"

Jack cast a warming charm on himself and lay back in the grass. "There are lots of other trains that go through there besides the Hogwarts Express, and some of them are underground. And Kings Cross caught on fire. And me and my Gran were trapped underground while the smoke built up. And people died. It was a bad fire."

"How did you get out?"

"My Gran Apparated us. She had never Apparated in her life. She had never even tried - just travelled by floo or portkey. She splinched three toes, and couldn't get them fixed since they got left behind and probably burnt. She went to Apparition lessons after that - said she never wanted to feel trapped like that again, and she got her license at the age of 68."

"Wow, that's impressive!" Ginny said. "Scary, but impressive."

"Yeah. Gran has a limp and I have asthma from the smoke, but we were lucky, that we didn't die in the fire, or in the Apparating. And then I had nightmares about the smoke, and about the muggles who got burnt, and about feeling trapped, and Mum said I needed to see a Mind Healer. So I did. For about a year. And it wasn't until we got here with the Dementors and the Boggart lesson that I started having those nightmares again."

Ginny was still sitting up, not looking Jack in the face, as he lay back on the grass. "What's it like, seeing a Mind Healer?"

"Mostly you talk about what's bothering you. And they listen, but in a different way than your friends or family listen. And they swear an oath not to tell anything you say. You can tell them all your secrets, and they won't tell your Mum and Dad. And they can do some rituals with you to help calm your magic if it gets too jangly or out of control." Jack said. "Why? Are you thinking of seeing one?"

"Professor Lupin thinks I should," Ginny confessed.

"You did kind of go through something crazy last year," Jack said. "And you're still getting blamed for it this year. That's a good reason to see one."

"It won't mean I'm crazy?" Ginny asked.

Jack laughed. "By the end of this year, if those monsters are still there, we're all going to be crazy, Gin."

* * *

That night, they all ended up camping out in the Great Hall in sleeping bags, because Black had gotten into the castle.

"I can't believe it!" Ginny huffed, as she found a sleeping bag near Jack.

"I know! The Dementors were supposed to keep him out!" Jack said.

Ginny shook her head. "We already knew he could get past Dementors - he escaped Azkaban, right? No, I can't believe that even  _Dumbledore_ calls Lady Isobel 'The Fat Lady'! I heard him, telling McGonagall to tell Filch to search for her, and he called her that! How would he like it if I called him 'The Ugly Man'?"

"Huh. I never thought of that," Jack said. "The prefects introduced her like that last year and..."

"And you just carried it on. Nobody ever asks her name. It's Lady Isobel!"

"How about we put a sign up under her frame, when they repair her?" Jack suggested.

"We could do that. Can they really repair her?"

"Oh yeah. Filch is great at it. I saw him repair one last year that Peeves had destroyed when he caught my bookbag and threw the books around. There were two kids in the frame, and he was so sweet and gentle with them while he worked on their home. It was like he was a different person," Jack said.

"Wild! But he hates breathing kids. I bet there's a story there," Ginny said.

"Lights are going out now!" Percy called out. "No more talking!"

Ginny snorted. "He's delusional."

Jack laughed. "Let's see how long we can stay awake!"

"We'll regret it tomorrow in class."

"Yes. Yes we will. Are you in?"

"Oh yes."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dumbledore: Nearly-Headless, can you go look for the Fat Lady?  
> Sir Nicholas: My name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington.  
> Dumbledore: Of course, my boy. Can you do that? Perhaps ask the Fat Friar, the Bloody Baron, and the Grey Lady?  
> Sir Nicholas: You mean Friar Honeyfield, Baron FitzWilliam and Lady Helena?  
> Dumbledore: Don't forget to check with Moaning Myrtle.  
> Sir Nicholas: Myrtle Warren?  
> Dumbledore: Let me know when you find the Fat Lady.  
> Sir Nicholas: HER NAME IS LADY ISOBEL!!!!!!!!


	4. Quidditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quidditch... and Dementors....
> 
> * * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommendation:  
> [Eternal Hilarity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16104623) by Luxis  
>  _Harry Potter, Master of Death, was reborn fifty-one times with his soulmate Tom Riddle in various eras and universes. After a millennia of absurdity and amusement, they've finally returned to their first life. And this time, Harry's ready to make the most of it._
> 
>  
> 
> _Chaos shall reign supreme._
> 
> * * *

Oliver hadn't made her a reserve player, but he'd agreed to let her tag along with the team, fetching and carrying supplies, tossing balls, and running drills. Oliver found Ginny especially useful in waking the girls for early morning practice when they tried to rebel and sleep in. It wasn't long before the team came to hate Ginny as much as they did Oliver, a distinction she felt proud to have earned.

She couldn't quite grasp his worry over having their opponents for the first match switched from Slytherin to Hufflepuff. Sure, their playing style was different, but in the end, Quidditch was Quidditch. She knew Harry was faster than Cedric Diggory - being smaller was an advantage for the Seeker position, and he had a better broom - and their team had logged more practice hours than Hufflepuff twice over. It wasn't that Hufflepuff wasn't good. They just didn't have  _Oliver Wood_ as their Captain. 

Then there was the weather. Oliver had made a point of running drills in all weather - even calling a practice at the last minute if a bad weather system moved in, just so they would get more experience. Gryffindor definitely had the advantage there.

The game was brutal. Cold and wet, and miserable for the spectators. The only reason there were any spectators at all was because it was the first match of the year, and everyone was Quidditch starved. If it had been mid season, the stands would have been empty.

So cold.

And then she heard his voice.

_"Write the message on the wall, Ginevra. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' No, don't complain. That's boring! Just do as you're told, and then we'll go and wait for Harry Potter."_

Harry. Harry was falling.

_"Don't worry, I'll leave him here with you. You'll be in the Chamber together forever. Isn't that romantic?"_

"Ginny? Can you hear me?"

It was Percy. 

"Mum's going to..."

"...kill us all."

George and Fred.

* * *

Her eyelids fluttered and then she was blinded by the bright lights in the Hospital Wing.

"Cold," Ginny said.

"She's cold!" Percy said. 

"Of course she's cold," Healer Apprentice Laila Abbot said. "I haven't gotten her dry yet. Step back, gentlemen, let her have some privacy."

Laila pulled the curtains and cast some spells that levitated Ginny and changed her out of her sopping Quidditch uniform and into dry clothes. The spell must have also dried the bedding, because when she was lowered onto the bed again, she was warm and dry. Laila opened the curtains, and gave Ginny a mug of cocoa. "Drink it. Treat it like a potion. You have to drink the whole thing."

"Ginny?" Percy said. "Are you hurt?"

Ginny gulped at the cocoa. "It's the memories. The Dementors." The she remembered the last thing she'd seen. "Harry! He fell off his broom!"

"One of the teachers slowed his fall. Madame Pomphrey's with him. He's not hurt bad enough to go to St Mungo's," Percy said. "That's all I know." He shuddered. "Those Dementors. They shouldn't be allowed. So many of them, swarmed the pitch. There are at least a dozen students and even a few staff here for Dementor exposure."

"Jack?" she said. "Luna?"

"They'll be okay..." Fred said.

"Everyone's getting chocolate." George finished.

"Will you check on them? And Harry? And don't tell Mum..."

"Ginny..." Percy said, clearly unhappy.

"Percy, she'll pull me out of school! I can't! I love her, but I can't be alone with her all day, with her fussing over her broken baby girl!" Ginny said, then gulped more chocolate. 

Fred and George exchanged looks. "She's right, Perce," George said.

"They'd hex each other before the week is out." Fred said.

"Rule of Mum," they said together, and looked at Percy.

He sighed, and took Ginny's free hand. "Rule of Mum." 

Ginny looked at the twins, and said, "Go on. Check on the others." 

They ducked out, but Ginny held onto Percy's hand before he could go as well. 

"Hey Percy? Can you find out something for me?"

"Sure, GinGin," he said.

"Can you find out if it costs money to go to a Mind Healer?"

* * *

If Harry was distraught at losing the game (and his broom), Oliver Wood was devastated. It was his seventh year, and his last chance to get the elusive Quidditch Cup. He was counting on that to get him noticed by a professional Quidditch team. 

"Oliver, we need reserve players!" Ginny told him. "Those foul things might lay anyone low, at any time! You need at least one reserve for each position, and preferably more!"

"If you mean _you_ , you ended up in the Hospital Wing right along with Harry!" Oliver said. "We have a _perfect team!_ I don't want to mess with that!"

Ginny crossed her arms and glared at him. "Yes, but I still end up there less often than he does. And if it was a stray bludger or a hexed broomstick that takes him out, I'll be available. And what about the other positions? Are you really going to risk the cup because you have the  _perfect team?_ If Katie gets the flu or Fred blows up a potion on himself, it won't be a perfect team, but it'll be a near perfect team if you at least have _someone_ to fill in their spots! And when the 'perfect team' graduates, there won't be anyone prepared to win for Gryffindor in the future!"

It took quite a few arguments with him, and getting most of the rest of the team to agree with her (Harry didn't want to take sides), but Oliver eventually agreed to hold tryouts for the reserve positions. Ginny was made Reserve Seeker and Chaser. Jack Sloper made Reserve Keeper and Beater. Melanie Stanmore made Reserve Beater and Chaser. And Demelza Robins made Reserve Chaser.  

* * *

Ron began sulking after that, since he hadn't earned a spot on the team. He tried once insinuating that Jack had only gotten his spot because of being Ginny's friend, but Demelza Robins was in earshot, and said, "How did I get on the team then? Your sister and I can't stand each other."

It was true. They couldn't. They were dorm mates, and they did not get along at all. But on the Quidditch pitch, they put it all behind them. Quidditch was everything. Quidditch was life.

* * *

> _Dear Bill,_
> 
> _I'm writing about Ginny. She asked if I could find out how expensive it is to see a Mind Healer, and I did. It's too much for Mum and Dad to pay for, but you know if Ginny is asking for it, then she probably needs it pretty badly. She's terrified of being pulled out of school if Mum decided she needed more smothering. Can you possibly forward 50 galleons to cover this? I will have a job next year, and I will pay you back, on my honour._
> 
> _Percy_
> 
> * * *
> 
> _Dear Percy,_
> 
> _Don't be a plonker. I've enclosed 100 galleons, and if she needs more, TELL ME! Who else am I going to spend my salary on but family? Thank you for trusting me with this, and don't worry. I'll treat this as Rule of Mum._
> 
> _Bill_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author: So... you don't have any reserve positions...  
> Oliver Wood: Nope!  
> Author: Even though potions blow up regularly... students hex each other in the halls... there was a troll... a basilisk petrifying people... Harry missed an entire game his first year due to being in the Hospital Wing, which was the ONLY reason Gryffindor lost the cup...  
> Oliver Wood: I HAVE THE PERFECT TEAM!!!!!!  
> Author: Yes... yes you do....


	5. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas at the Burrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommendations: [A Jumper for Molly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21000542) by Laurel_Sky  
>  _There was nothing special about the day Molly Weasley got her first Weasley jumper._

Ginny's Mind Healer was a woman named Athena Merrythought. She stopped just after flooing into the room, her eyes wide and unfocused, then said, "Oh. Oh no. This won't do at all." She reached into her bag and started pulling out random items - a stone, a feather, a candle (which she immediately lit), a bowl which she filled with water from an  _Aguamenti_ spell - and then after placing these items in the corners of the room, she stood in the centre and cast a long spell with her wand held upright, and then...

... suddenly, Ginny could breathe. She couldn't feel the Dementors any longer.

"What did you do?" Ginny gasped.

"I've blocked their foul influence from this room," Mrs Merrythought said. 

"Can you teach me to do that?"

Mrs Merrythought smiled sadly. "I'm afraid not. The spell would shatter an immature core."

Then Mrs Merrythought conjured a couple of squashy chairs that looked like they'd come directly out of the Gryffindor common room.

She smiled at the look on Ginny's face.

"No, I was a Hufflepuff. But I wanted you to be comfortable."

"Are you reading my mind?" Ginny asked.

"Oh no, that would be highly unethical without consent. But sometimes people... shout their thoughts? think very loudly?... I suppose that's the best way to put it. And when that happens, it's very difficult not to hear."

"But you _could_ read minds?"

"Some patients prefer to let me enter their minds and see their memories, rather than talk about it. So you can decide for yourself. And you can change your mind at any time. But before then, we need to go over the oaths that bind me, as a member of the Mind Healer's Guild..."

* * *

"Whatcha doing Ron?" Ginny asked. It didn't look like homework, since none of his textbooks were out.

"Oh, er... I'm just writing Mum to tell her I need to stay here with Harry for Christmas," he said shiftily.

Ginny looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Why?"

"So he won't be alone! His family doesn't ever want him to come home!" Ron said.

"No, you plonker. I mean, why are you staying here, where all the Dementors are, instead of inviting Harry to the Burrow for Christmas. Hermione too, since she was probably in on this whole 'lets stay in nightmaresville for Harry' plan," Ginny said.

"Oh... that's..."

"'What a brilliant idea, sis. I'll get right on that, sis. Thank you, sis?'" Ginny prompted.

"All of those things," Ron said. "You're my favourite sister."

"And you're my favourite brother whose name rhymes with John," Ginny said. 

A week later, the Weasleys and Harry (Hermione chose to visit her own parents, once she knew Harry was in good hands) were on their way to the Burrow.

* * *

A week and a night later, Ginny snuck out her window to fly and found Harry already out in the orchard flying.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked.

"Not really," Harry said.

"Okay," Ginny said. "Just be careful on these brooms. They don't have the responsiveness of your Nimbus. I've wiped out on them quite a few times."

Harry looked at her, astonished.

"That's it? You aren't going to pester me to tell you?"

"Er... no?" Ginny said. "If you want that, let Mum know something's wrong. You'll get all the pestering you want."

"I thought it was a girl thing. Because Hermione doesn't ever leave things alone, but Ron does," Harry said.

Ginny had learned things, even from only three Mind Healing lessons. "That's about boundaries, Harry. You get to set your own boundaries with the people in your life, and decide how much of yourself to share. That's what my Mind Healer is teaching me. Like my Mum. We all love her, but we don't want her knowing everything we are up to."

"You mean Rule of Mum?" Harry asked. He was just flying slow loops around the orchard with her. "Ron told me before I came home, not to let it slip that you were in the infirmary."

"Yeah. That's it. My Mind Healer said that was a good example of the seven of us setting boundaries, because she understands that us just saying 'Mum, stay out of it' isn't going to work as long as we're underage - and maybe not afterwards. She still tries to interfere in Bill and Charlie's lives. But if you don't want to tell Ron or Hermione or me or Mum or Dumbledore something going on in your life, just say, 'I'd rather not talk about it' as many times as it takes," Ginny says.

"Wow," Harry says. "That sounds... hard."

"It's like flying," Ginny says. "It takes practice."

"I was good at flying from the beginning," mumbled Harry.

"Potions then. Transfig. Quillmanship. Any skill. If you're bad at boundaries, practice until you get it right. And maybe see a Mind Healer like I do. She's a great help," Ginny said.

"I'm not crazy!" Harry insisted. 

"I'm not either," Ginny said. "But we've both had a lot of crazy things happen to us."

"Oh wait... this is where I can say 'I'd rather not talk about it' isn't it?" Harry said. 

Ginny grinned and offered Harry a fist bump.

* * *

A mystery package appeared under the tree for Harry, and when he opened it, it was a Firebolt.

Once Mum and Dad realised that it had no tag, they confiscated it, no matter how much everyone howled about the possibility of having a  _Firebolt_ taken apart. Ginny tugged on the sleeve of Percy's new Weasley sweater. Percy, the only Weasley at the moment who was calm. Because everyone knew Percy hated flying and was indifferent to Quidditch.

 _"Do something!"_ she mouthed. 

"Mum, Dad," Percy said. "Before you do anything to that broom, you should contact Eliza Bolt and find out who purchased it and whether it was sent directly here from her broom enchantment shop in Powys, or to a third party first."

Silence from the room. 

Percy continued awkwardly. "She only enchanted 49 of them, so I'm sure she has records."

More silence. Until finally Ron said in disbelief, "How do  _you_ know so much about the _Firebolt_?"

Percy sighed. "I share a room with Oliver Wood, don't I?"

* * *

Eliza Bolt turned out to be a witch who looked older than Dumbledore who arrived on some sort of specialised broom/chair combination which she flew right into the house. "My legs are no good, and I needed a way to get around."

"A hoverchair!" Harry exclaimed.

She grinned at Harry. "Got it in one! Muggleborn?"

Harry grinned back. "Muggle-raised."

"My wife was muggleborn. She's been gone for near fifteen years, bless her soul, but she got me hooked on muggle telly vision. Now, what's the problem with your Firebolt?"

"Madam Bolt, it arrived anonymously, and there have been some threats against Harry's life, as I'm sure you understand. We want to make sure no one has jinxed it," Dad said.

"Why would anyone want to hurt a Hogwarts student?" Eliza Bolt said, aghast.

"He's Harry Potter!" Ron said. "Someone always wants to kill him."

Eliza blinked, adjusted her glasses, then looked at Harry again. "Oh. My. I remember there was a thing, about you ending the war. I didn't realise you'd be this old by now. I suppose after burying Celeste, bless her soul, I lost track of the world for a few years. Then I got back into designing, because I knew that's what she'd want."

Ginny had a sudden feeling that Eliza's wife must have been killed in the war, perhaps just before it ended. Maybe that's when Eliza lost the use of her legs. Two elderly ladies who could have been a threat to no one, but Celeste had been a muggleborn.

"Well? Let me see the broom."

Once Eliza Bolt had the broom in her hands, she looked decades younger. Ginny knew all the details that Oliver Wood did (and had recited enough times that Percy had memorised) - that she enchanted every broom of the Firebolt line herself. She did have two apprentices, but they only worked on the standard Bolt brooms, which were general purpose brooms.

Ginny had always, _always_ wanted to play Quidditch when she grew up. But now, she thought maybe she wanted to design brooms. Just to be able to look at a broom and handle it the way Eliza Bolt did.

 

> * * *
> 
> Dear Jack,
> 
> You won't believe what happened this Christmas! 
> 
> (Oh, before I tell you, this is Hedwig, Harry's owl, and she likes owl treats or bacon or toast, but if you don't have any of those, just give her some scritches just behind the wings and explain that to her. She's very smart.)
> 
> Anyway, someone - we still don't know who - sent Harry a _**FIREBOLT!!!!!!**_ for Christmas!!!!!!! And the first thing Mum and Dad did was freak out and say it must have been Sirius Black who did it to try and kill him. Seems far fetched to me - I mean, if I was an escaped criminal and I wanted to kill Harry with a Christmas present, I'd think a poisoned chocolate frog would be a lot easier and cheaper to do. 
> 
> So anyway, while everyone was freaking out, Percy thought of owling Madam Eliza Bolt herself, because I told you my brothers can do anything, as long as you ask the right brother. She's absolutely amazing! She stayed for Christmas dinner!!!!! It turns out the broom went directly from her workshop to the Burrow, and there are definitely no jinxes on it. She was horrified that anyone would take apart one of her brooms! But she didn't know who bought it, because the purchase was by Gringotts Promissory Note and fully anonymous. Gringotts would know, but they'd never tell. So maybe it's just one of Harry's fans who heard that his broom got broken in the first match. 
> 
> Mrs Bolt told us all kinds of stories about her broom inventions, and I asked what I'd have to do in order to get an apprenticeship, and Dad -  _Dad -_ said he thought I wanted to play Quidditch for a career!!!! So I think maybe he has heard that I'm a reserve player! And Mrs Bolt said that one of her apprentices used to play for the Finches before he retired and went into broom design, but the other came in directly after NEWTs, and that's not uncommon across the industry. Basically, Herbology, Potions, and Charms all the way through 7th year, as well as Runes, Arithmancy, and as much Magic Theory as I can pick up on my own since Hogwarts stopped teaching it! Bill said he can lend me some books though, because he had to learn it to work at Gringotts. 
> 
> Luna and her father were with us too, and Luna asked the strangest questions, but then Mrs Bolt said she actually _did_ make sure not to harvest broom twigs from nargle infested trees because it could damage the balance integrity of the flight! And I think there might be a special in the next edition of the Quibbler about her hoverbroomchair. 
> 
> So almost as good as meeting Mrs Bolt was that she very loudly insisted that if Harry was letting everyone else have a turn on the Firebolt, there was no reason I shouldn't as well, because it was perfectly safe! And _Mum! Backed! Down!_
> 
> **_I got to fly a Freaking Firebolt in front of Eliza Bolt herself!!!!!!_ **
> 
> Best.
> 
> Christmas.
> 
> Ever.
> 
> Thank you for the falcon quills - they are gorgeous! 
> 
> Merry Christmas,
> 
> Ginny

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry: I have no one to spend Christmas with  
> Ron and Hermione: We'll stay here and spend Christmas with you, in the castle surrounded by Dementors. Instead of inviting you into our homes. This makes perfect sense.  
> Harry: Won't your parents mind?  
> Hermione: Why would my parents want their only daughter home for Christmas? That's ridiculous!  
> Ron: I asked Gin to cover for me. Whenever anyone asks for me, she'll say she just saw me upstairs, or outside, or wherever. They'll never notice.  
> ....  
> Christmas dinner at the Weasleys:  
> Molly: Ron? RON?!!!!!  
> Arthur: Now, Molly, calm down.  
> Molly: THERE'S FOOD ON THE TABLE AND RON ISN'T HERE!!!!!! HE MUST BE DEAD!!!!!


	6. Revolt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scabbers is missing/presumed dead and Ginny leads a revolt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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"For MERLIN SAKE'S Ron, Scabbers was as old as me! He crawled off into a hole and died of old age!" Ginny shouted at Ron.

They were back from Christmas, and Ron was convinced that Crookshanks had killed Scabbers. Or "murdered" as he put it. 

"SHUT UP, Ginny, you always hated Scabbers!" Ron yelled back.

Harry managed to lure Ron out of the Common Room with a promise of a turn on the Firebolt, and Ginny turned to Hermione.

"Sorry my brother is a prat."

To Ginny's horror, Hermione crumpled into tears and clung to her. Ginny, who had grown up in a house full of boys, had no idea how to handle this. She looked at Jack over Hermione's shoulder, and mouthed 'Help!'

Jack disappeared, but returned after a moment with Lavender and Pavarti, who took one look at the situation, then gathered up Hermione between them, talking softly to her, then took her up to the girls' dorm.

"Thank you!" Ginny said. "How did you know what to do?"

"You remember when you said that your brothers could do anything, as long as you asked the right brother? Well I've been thinking about that when it comes to our House. If you want someone who knows every Quidditch statistic for the last 50 years-"

"Oliver Wood. Or Lee Jordan."

"If you want someone to help you with your homework."

"Hermione or Percy."

"If you want someone to win an eating contest."

"Ron."

"And Lavender and Pavarti are the ones you go to with... social problems? I guess that's the term? They always seem to be around when someone is upset."

"Hmph. They didn't when it was me," Ginny said bitterly.

"That's because you pushed people away your first year, and you never ever cried in the Common Room."

Ginny thought about it. "Huh. I guess I didn't."

* * *

A few days later, Gryffindor defeated Ravenclaw, and that night, Sirius Black tried to attack Ron with a knife.

"Which person, which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?" McGonagall demanded.

It was Neville. Of course it was Neville. Poor hapless Neville, with the terrible memory. And now to punish him, McGonagall had forbidden anyone from Gryffindor from giving him the new password. He was to wait outside the Common Room until someone came by to let him in.

Outside the Common Room, when an escaped murderer was traipsing in and out of the castle like it was his own personal playground.

* * *

The first time Ginny saw Neville waiting outside, one landing down from the Security trolls, clutching his wand, she saw red.

"Come on, Neville.  _Turnbuckle,"_ She said to Lady Isobel. Then she stood up on a table and sent a bang into the air that got everyone's attention. "House Meeting, five minutes."

"You can't just call a House Meeting, Weasley. Only prefects can call a -"

Percy stood up. "House Meeting. Five Minutes." And Ginny's heart warmed at the show of solidarity.

 

When most of the Gryffindors had gathered in the Common Room, Percy declared the meeting in session, and turned the floor - table - over to Ginny.

"Right," she said. "So first, can we all agree that Sir Cadogan was a terrible portrait guardian?"

There were murmurs.

"Okay, does anyone think he was  _good_ at his job?"

No one.

"Right. Changing passwords randomly was awful. I'm sure Neville isn't the only one who wrote passwords down, right? I did. Who else did?" A few people raised their hands. Then a few more. About a third of the House. "So Neville is just the only one who admitted it when McGonagall asked. Admirable honesty, and he's being _punished_ for it."

"Yeah, but I did lose my list," Neville confessed. "I'm sure it was my fault."

"That's not the point!" Ginny said. "McGonagall gave you a detention. Fair enough. She banned you from Hogsmeade - that's rough, but that's between her and your Gran. But then she said  _we_ weren't allowed to give  _you_ the passwords anymore.  _You_ have to stand outside, when there are Dementors and Sirius Black and trolls and boggarts." She took a breath. "FUCK THAT SHIT!"

Percy gasped. "Ginny! Language!"

"Are we Lions or not? Are we going to leave one of our own in danger just because a fucking  _teacher_ said so? I refuse! I will give Neville the password every day, and if that means I spent every day in detention, so be it. If I get banned from getting the password, let it happen. But if we all refuse to go along with this unjust and dishonourable punishment, then McGonagall will have to back down. Who is with me?!" She raised her wand in a Lumos.

Fred and George, who lived to rebel, were the first to leap up on the table with her, raising their wands in a Lumos. Jack wasn't far behind. Then the table was rather full, but Hermione stood, and Lavender and Pavarti immediately were by her side. Then more and more joined in, until the room was a sea of light, and Neville looked stunned by the show of support, and Ginny was amazed that it had worked, when she had been so unpopular at the start of the year, but she couldn't just do  _nothing_ and...

Percy's wand lit up.

Percy, who loved authority, who loved his Head Boy badge. 

_She'd convinced Percy._

"Come on, Ginny, Neville. Let's go see Professor McGonagall," Percy said. 

 

After he told Professor McGonagall the whole story, Ginny got a detention for swearing, and twenty points for "Reminding a foolish old woman what being a Gryffindor is all about." Neville's password privileges were returned. 

 

Two days later, Ginny got a Howler, berating her for swearing. Fred and George told her they couldn't be prouder of her. Her very first Howler, and it was for something so ridiculously Gryffindor and noble, yet she managed to drop two F-bombs in the middle of it. 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> McGonagall: "Your House will be like your family"  
> Harry: "They'll lock me in a cupboard?"  
> Neville: "Toss me out a window?"  
> Ron: "Ignore me because I'm one in a crowd?"  
> Hermione: "Ignore me because I'm different?"  
> McGonagall: "I meant they'll support you!"  
> Fred: "Wonder what that's like?"  
> George: "Not a clue."


End file.
